Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
How grazing on fertilised pasture affects insulin in ponies
By Fitzgerald, Danielle M et al.·Published in BMC veterinary research·2019·School of Earth, Australia·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: The effect of different grazing conditions on the insulin and incretin response to the oral glucose test in ponies.
- Species:
- horse
Plain-English summary
A group of 16 mixed-breed ponies was tested for insulin dysregulation (ID) after grazing on either fertilised or unfertilised pasture for five days. The ponies that grazed on fertilised pasture showed a significantly higher insulin response during an oral glucose test compared to those on unfertilised pasture. Some ponies that were initially not severely insulin-dysregulated developed more severe ID after eating the fertilised pasture. This suggests that changes in diet can affect insulin levels in ponies, highlighting the importance of careful dietary management for those with insulin issues.
People also search for: pony insulin dysregulation diet · grazing effects on pony health · managing insulin levels in ponies
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The oral glucose test (OGT) is a useful tool for diagnosing insulin dysregulation (ID) and is somewhat repeatable in ponies under consistent management. This study aimed to determine whether the insulin and incretin responses to an OGT in ponies differed after short-term access to fertilised pasture, compared to unfertilised pasture, by using a randomised, repeated measures study design. Sixteen mixed-breed ponies were classified as severely insulin-dysregulated (SD; post-prandial insulin ≥80 μIU/mL) or not severely insulin-dysregulated (NSD; post-prandial insulin < 80 μIU/mL) using an OGT prior to the study. The ponies accessed pasture that was fertilised, or unfertilised, for 5 days (4 h/day, with supplemental hay provided at 0.7% bodyweight), with a 10 day period between phases. An OGT was performed after each phase. Glucose, insulin, active glucagon-like peptide-1 (aGLP-1), and glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) were measured in post-prandial blood samples. RESULTS: The volume of fertilised pasture was five-fold greater than unfertilised pasture, with % non-structural carbohydrates (NSC) similar between all forages. Consuming fertilised pasture increased (P = 0.018) the serum insulin response to an OGT, compared to grazing unfertilised pasture. A limitation of the study was that pasture intake was unable to be quantified. Insulin responses were greater in SD, compared to NSD, ponies (P < 0.001) and remained well above the test cut-off at all times. A subset of ponies, initially screened as NSD, became (more) insulin-dysregulated after pasture access. Further, aGLP-1 was a significant predictor of insulin concentration in this cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Whereas some insulin-dysregulated ponies were comparatively resistant to dietary intervention, others showed markedly different OGT responses following subtle changes in their forage-based diet. This implies that mild/early ID might be unmasked by dietary change, and that dietary management is important in these ponies. However, dietary management alone may not be adequate for all cases of ID.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31619223/